Shoe or similar footwear



June 26, 1945. w GOULD 2,379,000

SHOE OR SIMILAR FOOTWEAR Filed Jan. 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor June 26, 1945. w. 1.. GOULD 2,379,000

SHOE OR S IMILAR FOOTWEAR Filed Jan.. 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ni'entor Patented June 26, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE R SIMILAR FOOTWEAR William L. Gould, Albany, N. Y. Application January 26, 1944, Serial No. 519,791

1 Claim.

This invention relates to shoes or similar foot wear, and the primary object of the invention, generally stated, is to provide an article of footwear which, in addition to having the usual depressed forward bottom portion aiiording a recess for the ball of the foot and the usual longitudinal arch portion rising from the forward portion of the bottom, also has a constant recess in the heel portion of the bottom conforming to the shap of the heel of the foot. This provides a recess at all times to receive the heel of the foot whereby both the ball and heel of the foot are constantly allowed to ride lower than the longitudinal arch of the foot. At the same time, the arch of the foot is allowed to stay lower so as to always properly contact and be supported by the longitudinal arch of the shoe bottom, thereby avoiding the necessity of built-up arch supports within the bottom of the shoe.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an article of footwear having an improved bottom as outlined above, wherein the shoe construction of the heel portion of the shoe is of standard design so that the outward appearance of the shoe at the heel is the same as that of shoes of ordinary construction and design. In other words, the heel portion of the shoe sole is not specially formed or depressed to provide the heel recess, but is of the usual flat form so that the shoe has the external appearance of one having a regulation heel, the upper portion of the heel recess being formed by providing an opening extending entirely through the heel portion of the sole, and the lower portion of the heel recess being formed by actually recessing one or more of the uppermost lifts of the heel proper.

In order to have the recess accurately con-,

form to the shape of the bottom of the heel of the foot and to insure maximum comfort to the wearer, said recess is made of general concavespherical form but distorted so as to have an elongated form in plan with the major axis of the recess parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

In order to permit accurate fitting of the shoe to the heels of difierent persons having varying foot conditions, the heel portion of the inner sole of the shoe is left free, and removable inserts are provided for the recess in the heel, whereby the depth of the heel recess may be accurately regulated as desired. These inserts are thin and of a shape corresponding to the recess in the heel portion of th shoe, and they enable gradual correction of root conditions involving flat or. partially flat longitudinal arches. While there are other benefits and features of a construction according to the present invention, the above are the salient benefits and features thereof, and are all that need be discussed at length herein.

The exact nature and features of the invention will be clearly apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement or parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in said drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View, with the heel portion broken away and in longitudinal section, of a shoe constructedin accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section, taken on line 22 of Figur l.

Figure 3 is-a transverse section taken, on line 3-3 of Figure l.

' Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the heel portion of the shoe as shown in Figure l, with the inner sole and inserts removed.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the inserts;

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates a conventional upper or a shoe of the low-cut type, said shoe including a bottom composed of an outer sole 6 and an inner sole 1, a heel 8 being attached to the heel portion of the outer sole 6 and being composed of theusual plurality of superimposed lifts. As is usual in conventional footwear, the forward portion of the sole 6 is depressed so as to afford a recess which allows the ball of the foot to ride at a low level, the arch portion 9 for the longitudinal arch of the root extending upwardly and rearwardly from the forward portion 6 and having the ordinary fiat rear or heel portion it. Thu far described, the shoe is of conventional design.

In accordance with the present invention, a permanent recess H is provided in the heel portionof the shoe bottom by providing an opening i2 entirely through the flat heel portion it of the outer sole of the shoe and by recessing one or more of the uppermost lifts of the shoe heel 8. lhe heel portion of the inner sole 1 is left free or unattached and is formed with a depression 13 corresponding in general shape to the recess 1 i. In order that the recess may accurately conform to the shape of the bottom of the heel of the foot, said recess is of general segmento-spherical form, but distorted to the extent that it has an elongated or oval form in plan, as shown in Figure 2, the major axis of the recess being parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shoe. Thus, besides insuring maximum comfort to the wearer,

the constant recess allows the heel portion of the foot to always ride lower than usual and permits the longitudinal arch of the foot to always ride lower than usual and permits the longitudinal arch of the foot to stay lower so as to always con-' tact and be supported by the longitudinal arch portion 9 of the shoe bottom. Thus, by simple means, recesses are provided for both the ball and heel of the foot, which permits them to always ride lower than the longitudinal arch of the foot in a natural way. At the same time, the natural conformation of the shoe bottom to the foot of the wearer thus effected brings about a proper constant support for the longitudinal arch of the foot by the longitudinal arch portion of the shoe bottom without providing any builtup or inserted arch support within the shoe.

As the foot conditions of persons vary considerably, it is obviously desirable to vary or regulate the depth of the heel recess so that tendency toward fiat foot conditions may be gradually corrected. For this purpose, a plurality of substantially non-yielding inserts ['4 are provided in the recess I I of the shoe heel, said inserts conforming in size and shape to the recess l l andbeing composed of relatively thin sheets of appropriate shapeand size and affording the desired concavospherical seat for the heel of the foot. Any desired one or more of the inserts may be removed or used to meet the requirements for fitting any particular person.

It will be noted that by'leaving the heel portion lb or the sole perfectly fiat, the usual line of demarcation is provided, as at l5, between the shoe upper and the heel of'the shoe, whereby the desirable external appearance of the shoe is that of one having a regulation'heel. In other words,

the 'only'vvay that the presence of the'heel recess could be suspected would be by actually looking at'the interior of the "shoe; Furthermore, this permits construction of'the shoe according to standard manufacturing methods "except for the additional 'rece'ssing of 'the heel 'by forming an opening in theheel portion of the sole and recessing one or more of the uppermost lifts of the heel proper. different consideration from that involved in shoe construction contemplating depression of the heel portion of the shoe sole to provide a heel recess. It is also distinctly superior to the provision of a recess with a flat bottom that affords no actual conformation to the heel of the foot and little comfort. The invention should also not be confused with shoe construction wherein, although the heel is provided with a recess, such recess is not used as a seat for the heel of the foot so as to allow the latter to ride lower than the longitudinal arch of the foot. In the latter instances of the prior art, the heel recesses have simply been provided to receive so-called heel cushions which still keep the heel of the foot raised and the longitudinal arch of the foot out of contact with and unsupported by the longitudinal arch of the shoe, except when the cushions are compressed.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction of the present invention, as well as its advantages and the manner in which it functions, will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new is:

A shoe or like article of footwear having a bottom including an inner sole, an outer sole and a heel proper, the bottom having the usual depressed forward portion affording a recess for the ball of the foot, a longitudinal arch portion extending upwardly and rearwar'dly from said forward portion, and a flat heel portion to which the heel proper is attached, said heel portion hav ing an opening and the heel proper having its upper portion recessed to form a substantially concavo-spherical recess in the heel. portion of the shoe to fit the bottom of and receive'the heel of the foot and allow the longitudinal arch of the foot to contact and be supported by the longitudinal arch portion of the shoe bottom, and .a plurality of thin inserts of uniform thickness removably disposed in said heel recess beneath the heel portion of the inner sole and conforming in size and shape to said heel recess, the'heel portion of the inner sole being free to be'lifted for permitting insertion or removal of one or more of the inserts.

{ WILLIAM L. GOULD.

It is to be noted that this is a quite' 

